Sera Beak is a Harvard-trained scholar of comparative world religions. She spent years traveling the world studying spirituality – from whirling with Sufi dervishes to meeting the Dalai Lama on her 21st birthday. The New York Times has called Sera one of the new “role models” of our generation. Sera is the author of The Red Book: A Deliciously Unorthodox Approach to Igniting Your Divine Spark and Red Hot & Holy: A Heretic’s Love Story.
Episode Outline:
- God-Child – Sera has had a profound love for God since a very early age, but it wasn’t the God she wasn’t being taught about in Church or Sunday School, which she discusses in detail.
- The Exploding Heart – From Buddhist Philosophy class to becoming a scholar of comparative world religions, Sera describes finding her way through her college years, while trying to reconcile her own spiritual calling at the same time.
- Spiritual Nourishment – From a seemingly harmless inner experience while listening to a Chris Brown song, Sera talks about how she learned that spiritual practice is paying closer attention to what feeds and nourishes your soul, and awakens your body, regardless of what that may be.
- Before Marion, After Marion – Sera talks about a very powerful interview she did with Jungian analyst, Marion Woodman that significantly changed her life.
- Spiritual “It” Girl? Not if Andrew Harvey Has Anything to Say About It! – Early in her career, Sera was poised to be one of the next spiritual “it” girls, being featured in the NY Times, having a major publishing contract, a request to write a book with a Hollywood actress and more. That is, until you she a pivotal experience with the brilliant mystic Andrew Harvey.
- Everyone’s a Critic – Sera discusses the importance of working through our own shit as a means of not letting other people’s shit have such a significant impact in our daily lives.
Recommendations:
Sera’s Books: Red Hot & Holy, The Red Book
Other Books: Best of Rebelle Society Vol. I, Leaving My Father’s House by Marion Woodman, The Essential Mystic’s by Andrew Harvey
Music: Massive Attack – Mezzanine, Nine Inch Nails – Pretty Hate Machine, New Kids On The Block – Hangin’ Tough
Movies: American Beauty, Donnie Darko, Finding